Free Will vs. Determinism Essay

Abstract Is it possible that two philosophical worlds can coexist yet still be argue no to? There are many who say yes and many who say no. Some believe that life is lived by free will. Others believe that life is lived through predetermination, known as determinism. May one thing exist if another cannot. Who is to say yes or no? Free Will vs. Determinism Socrates: “May it be that there is substantial reason to believe things are what they are because of what they were? ” Nathan: “So, you too would be describing determinism as the way things will be as a result of how things are and work of natural laws?

Socrates: “Would you agree that this means there is no human freedom of choice or action that was ours to make in the first place? ” Nathan: “No, I would like to believe humanity has the freedom of choice, since our choices are ours in the first place, although they must have an explanation. ” Socrates: “Is it possible that every choice may not have an explanation for why something led to specific effects? ” Nathan: “Yes, it is possible, but I would like to think that some situations do not hold explanations.

” Socrates: “Nathan, is there room for acceptance that human choices or situations may be events? ” Nathan: “That would be to say that they are mere objects in time or instantiations of properties in objects. ” Socrates: “Possibly, but wouldn’t that mean they would hold an explanatory cause? ” Nathan: “If what you’re asking determines whether or not there is an explanation for why something happened that led to a specific effect, then yes. ” Socrates: “Would you agree that every choice or event would have an explanatory cause?

” Nathan: “Yes, I would like to believe that sometimes some choices or events are random leading to free will. ” Socrates: “Are these human choices or events we speak of the same or are they different? ” Nathan: “I would believe them to be different. Choices are instances of free will through periodic randomness as where events are often reflections of these spoken choices. Hence, they are different. Often choices may lead to an event, but events often lead to choices. ” Socrates: “So you would entertain the idea that explanatory cause is not to be free?

” Nathan: “No, to be free is having the ability to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint. Therefore to be free is merely an individual idea. ” Socrates: “Are these two worlds of free will and determinism able to coexist within the same realm? ” Nathan: “Yes, I believe it is possible that a person’s free will may lead them to a point of determinism. This being they make a choice and then in turn that choice leads them to a predetermined point in life. It was just their choice in when or how they arrived there. ” Socrates: “Can there be external determinism and internal free will?

” Nathan: “It is possible that we may have a predetermination, however I believe that at the same time, we are capable of making our own decisions and making our own free choices. Even if these choices may lead to a determined place it is still our own decision on how we may arrive there. Summary I would like to state that I believe it is possible for determinism to exist in a world that is decided by free will even if our life is predetermined. However, just because our life has a determined end it does not conclude that the contents of our lives were without free will.

Our choices all have an explanatory cause, even if we would like to think that some choices are made at random. This is, however, just another example that we control our own free will. References CLARKE, P. H. (2010). Determinism, Brain Function and Free Will. Science & Christian Belief, 22(2), 133-149. Millican, P. (2010). Hume’s Determinism. Canadian Journal Of Philosophy, 40(4), 611-642 http://www. galilean-library. org/site/index. php/page/index. html/_/essays/introducingphilosophy/13-free-will-and-determinism-r29.

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